this lecture will help you understand: no-till agriculture ... copyright © 2006 pearson education,...

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Copyright © 2006 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Benjamin Cummings

PowerPoint® Slides prepared by Jay Withgott and Heidi Marcum

Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Pearson Benjamin Cummings

Ch 9Soil and Agriculture

Part 2: Environmental Issues

and the Search for Solutions

The other inconvenient truth videoCopyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Pearson Benjamin Cummings

This lecture will help you understand:

• The relationship between soils and agriculture

• Major agricultural developments

• The fundamentals of soil science

• Causes and consequences of soil erosion and degradation

• Principles of soil conservation


No-till agriculture in Southern Brazil

• Southern Brazil’s climate and soils make for bountiful harvests

• Repeated planting has diminished the productivity of the soil

• Leaving crop residues on their fields after harvesting and planting “cover crops” reduced erosion, increased yields and cut costs

• These no-till techniques have benefited everyone


Soil: the foundation for agriculture

• Land devoted to agriculture covers 38% of Earth’s land surface

• Agriculture = practice of raising crops and livestock for human use and consumption

• Cropland = land used to raise plants for human use

• Rangeland or pasture = land used for grazing livestock

• Soil = a complex plant-supporting system consisting of disintegrated rock, organic matter, water, gases, nutrients, and microorganism

- It is a renewable resource


Population and consumption degrades soil

• Feeding the world’s rising human population requires changing our diet or increasing agricultural production

• Land suitable for farming is running out

• We must find ways to improve the efficiency of food production

• Mismanaged agriculture turns grasslands into deserts; removes forests; diminishes biodiversity; and pollutes soil, air, and water

- Fertile soil is blown and washed away


Millions of acres of cropland are lost each

year

We lose 5-7 million ha (12-17 million acres) of productive cropland annually

1 acre = 0.4 hectares

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Soil degradation has many causes

• Soil degradation results from deforestation, agriculture and overgrazing

• Over the past 50 years, soil degradation has reduced global grain production by 13%


Agriculture arose 10,000 years ago

• Agriculture was invented independently by different cultures

• The earliest plant and animal domestication is from the “Fertile Crescent” of the Middle East

- Wheat, barley, rye, peas, lentils, onions, goats, sheep


Traditional agriculture

• Traditional agriculture = biologically powered agriculture, using human and animal muscle power

- Subsistence agriculture = families produce only enough food for themselves

- Intensive agriculture = produces excess food to sell

- Uses animals, irrigation and fertilizer, but not fossil fuels


Industrialized agriculture is a recent

phenomenon

• Industrialized agriculture = using large-scale mechanization and fossil fuels to boost yields

- Also uses pesticides, irrigation and fertilizers

- Monocultures = uniform planting of a single crop

Green revolution = the use of new technology, crop varieties

and farming practices introduced to developing countries

• Increased yields

• Created new problems and worsened old ones

Farming for the Future videoCopyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Pearson Benjamin Cummings

Soil as a system

• Soil consists of mineral matter, organic matter, air, and water

- Dead and living microorganisms, and decaying material

- Bacteria, algae, earthworms, insects, mammals, amphibians, and reptiles

Since soil is composed of living and non-living matter, it is

considered an ecosystemCopyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Pearson Benjamin Cummings

Soil formation is slow and complex

• Parent material = the base geologic material of soil

- Lava, volcanic ash, rock, dunes

- Bedrock = the continuous mass of solid rock comprising the Earth’s crust

• Weathering = the physical, chemical, or biological processes that break down rocks to form soil

- Physical (mechanical) = wind and rain, no chemical changes in the parent material

- Chemical = substances chemically interact with parent material

- Biological = organisms break down parent material

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Weathering produces soil


Other processes affect soil formation

• Biological activity includes deposition, decomposition, and accumulation of organic matter

- Humus = a dark, spongy, crumbly mass of material formed by partial decomposition

Erosion = the dislodging and

movement of soil by wind or

water

Occurs when vegetation is

absent


A soil profile consists of horizons

• Horizon = each layer of soil

• Soil profile = the cross-section of soil as a whole

• Up to six major horizons may occur in a soil profile

- Topsoil = inorganic and organic material most nutritive for plants

- Leaching = dissolved particles move down through horizons


Soils are characterized in many ways

• Soils are classified based on color, texture, structure, and pH

• Soil color = indicates its composition and fertility

- Black or dark brown = rich in organic matter

- Pale gray or white = indicates leaching

• Soil texture = determined by the size of particles

- From smallest to largest = clay, silt, sand

- Loam = soil with an even mixture of the three

- Influences how easy it is to cultivate and let air and water travel through the soil


Silty soils with medium-size pores, or loamy soils with mixtures of pore sizes are best for plant growth and crop agriculture

Soil texture classification


Animation

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Soil structure and pH

• Soil structure = a measure of soil’s “clumpiness”

- Large clumps can discourage plant roots

- Repeated tilling compacts soil, decreasing its water-absorbing capabilities

- Plowpan = a hard layer resulting from repeated plowing that resists water infiltration and root penetration

• Soil pH = influences a soil’s ability to support plant growth

- Soils that are too acidic or basic can kill plants


Cation exchange is vital for plant growth

• Cation exchange = process that allows plants to gain nutrients

- Negatively charged soils hold cations (positively charged ions) of calcium(Ca+), magnesium (Mg+), and potassium (K+)

• Cation exchange capacity = a soil’s ability to hold cations, preventing them from leaching, thereby increasing their availability to plants

- A useful measure of soil fertility

- Greatest in fine soils

With Humus

Without

Humus


Regional differences in soils affect

agriculture

• Rainforests have high primary productivity, but the nutrients are in plants, not the soil

- Rain leaches minerals and nutrients deeper into the soil, reducing their accessibility to roots

- Swidden agriculture = cultivation of a plot for a few years and then letting it regrow into forest

• Temperate grasslands have lower rainfall and less nutrient leaching


Erosion degrades ecosystems and

agriculture

• Deposition = the arrival of eroded material at its new location

• Flowing water deposits sediment in river valleys and deltas

- Floodplains are excellent for farming

• But, erosion is a problem because it occurs faster than new soil is formed

• Erosion increases through: excessive tilling, overgrazing, and clearing forests


Soil erodes by several methods

• Plants protect soils form erosion

- Removing plants accelerates erosion

• Rill erosion moves the most topsoil, followed by sheet and splash forms of erosion

• Water erosion occurs most easily on steep slopes

• Erosion in the U.S. declined between 1982 and 2001

- Soil conservation measures

Despite conservation measures, the U.S. still loses 6 tons of soil

for every ton of grain harvested


Various types of soil erosion

Splash

Sheet

Rill

Gully

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Soil erosion is a global problem

• Humans are the primary cause of erosion

- It is occurring at unnaturally high rates

• In Africa, erosion over the next 40 years could reduce crop yields by half

- Coupled with rapid population growth, some observers describe the future of agriculture as a crisis situation


Desertification

• Desertification = a loss of more than 10% productivity

- Erosion, soil compaction, forest removal, overgrazing, salinization, climate change, depletion of water sources

• Most prone areas = arid and semiarid lands



Desertification has high costs

• Desertification affects 1/3 of the planet’s land area

- In over 100 countries

• Costs tens of billions of dollars each year

- China loses over $6.5 billion/year alone from goat overgrazing

- In Kenya, 80% of he land is vulnerable to desertification from overgrazing and deforestation


The Dust Bowl

• In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, settlers arrived in Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, New Mexico and Colorado

• Grew wheat, grazed cattle

- Removed vegetation

• A drought in the 1930s made conditions worse

• Thousands of farmers left their land and had to rely on governmental help


The Soil Conservation Service

• Started in 1935, the Service works with farmers to develop conservation plans for farms

- Assess the land

- Prepare an integrated plan

- Work closely with landowners

- Implement conservation measures

• Conservation districts = districts operate with federal direction, authorization, and funding, but are organized by the states

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Conservation districts

• Districts implement soil conservation programs to empower local residents to plan and set priorities

• Natural Resources Conservation Service = 1994 renaming of the Soil Conservation Service

- Expanded responsibilities include water quality protection and pollution control

- Serves as a model for efforts around the world


Protecting soil: crop rotation and contour

farming

• Crop Rotation = alternating the crops grown field from one season or year to the next,

- Cover crops protect soil when main crops aren’t planted

- Wheat or corn and soybeans

• Contour Farming = plowing furrows sideways across a hillside, perpendicular to its slope, to prevent rills and gullies


Protecting soil: terracing and intercropping

• Terracing = level platforms are cut into steep hillsides, sometimes with raised edges

- A “staircase” to contain water

• Intercropping = planting different types of crops in alternating bands or other spatially mixed arrangements

- Increases ground cover


Protecting soil: shelterbelts and reduced

tillage

• Shelterbelts or Windbreaks = rows of trees or other tall, perennial plants that are planted along the edges of fields to slow the wind

- Alley cropping = shelterbelts + intercropping

• Reduced Tillage = furrows are cut in the soil, a seed is dropped in and the furrow is closed

- No-till farming disturbs the soil even less


Pros and cons of no-till farming

• Almost half of U.S. farmland uses no-till farming

• Benefits: reduced soil erosion, greater crop yields, enhanced soils

• Negatives: increased use of herbicides and fertilizers

• But, green manure (dead plants and fertilizer) and rotating crops minimizes the negatives


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Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Pearson Benjamin Cummings Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Pearson Benjamin Cummings

Plant cover reduces erosion

• Eroding banks along creeks and roadsides are stabilized by planting plants to anchor soil

• China has the world’s largest tree-planting program

- It does slow erosion

- But it does not create ecologically functional forests, because monocultures are planted


Irrigation: boosted productivity, but

problems, too• Irrigation = Artificially providing

water to support agriculture

- Unproductive regions become farmland

• Waterlogging = over-irrigated soils

- Water suffocates roots

• Salinization = the buildup of salts in surface soil layers

- Worse in arid areas

Salinization inhibits production of 20% of all irrigated cropland,

costing more than $11 billion/year


Salinization prevention

• It is easier and cheaper to prevent salinization than fix it

• Do not plant water-guzzling crops in sensitive areas

• Irrigate with low-salt water

• Irrigate efficiently, supplying only water that the crop requires

- Drip irrigation targets water directly to plants


Fertilizers boost yields but cause problems

• Fertilizer = substances that contain essential nutrients

• Inorganic fertilizers = mined or synthetically manufactured mineral supplements

• Organic fertilizers = the remains or wastes of organisms

- manure, crop residues, fresh vegetation

- Compost = produced when decomposers break down organic matter

Applying

synthetic

fertilizer, vs.

Planting rye,

a “green

manure”


Overapplication of Fertilizer

• Inorganic fertilizer use has skyrocketed

• Overapplying fertilizer can ruin the soil and severely pollute several areas

• Runoff causes eutrophication in nearby water systems

• Nitrates leach through soil and contaminate groundwater

• Nitrates can also volatilize (evaporate) into the air

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Environmental effects of over-fertilizing


Overgrazing causes soil degradation

• Overgrazing = too many animals eat too much of the plant cover

- Impedes plant regrowth

• A leading cause of soil degradation

• Government subsidies provide few incentives to protect rangeland

70% of the world’s rangeland is classified as degraded


Effects of overgrazing can be striking

• Non-native invasive species invade

- Less palatable to livestock

- Out compete native vegetation

Ungrazed plot Grazed plot


Forestry impacts soil

• Along with farming and ranching, forestry impacts soils

• Clear-cutting = the removal of all trees from an area at once

- Leads to soil erosion, especially on steep slopes

• Modern methods remove fewer trees over longer periods of time

- Minimizes soil erosion


U.S. programs promote soil conservation

• Food Security Act of 1985: Farmers that adopt soil conservation plan receive price supports and other benefits

• Conservation Reserve Program (1985)

- Farmers are paid to place highly erodible land into conservation reserves

- Trees and grasses are planted instead of crops

- Saves 771 million tons of topsoil per year

- Generates income for farmers

- Provides habitat for native wildlife


Federal Agricultural Improvement Act

(1996)

• Known as the Freedom to Farm Act

- Aimed to reduce subsidies and government influence over farm products

- Created the Environmental Quality Incentive Program and Natural Resource Conservation Foundation

- Promotes and pays for conservation practices in agriculture

• Low-Input Sustainable Agriculture Program (1998)

- Provides funding for sustainable agricultural practices for individual farmers

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International soil conservation programs

• Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) = the United Nations’ main agricultural program

• The FAO’s Farmer-Centered Agricultural Resource Management Program (FAR)…

- Helps farmers duplicate agricultural success stories

- Uses local communities to educate and encourage farmers to conserve soils and secure the food supply

- Supports innovative approaches to resource management and sustainable agriculture in around the world

- China, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Nepal


Conclusion

• Programs in the U.S. and the world have been successful in reducing topsoil erosion

• These programs require:

- Research, education, funding, and commitment from farmers and governments

• To avoid a food crisis caused by population growth, we need

- Better technology

- Wider adoption of soil conservation techniques

- To consider Aldo Leopold’s land ethic program

this lecture will help you understand: no-till agriculture ... copyright © 2006 pearson education,...

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